“HE stood out on breeding,” said owner James Macauley on why he bought his superstar Sceptical, all set for today’s Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Picked up for £2,800 at Goffs UK from a Godolphin draft, the four-year-old is by Exceed And Excel, whose progeny James and his brother Stephen and their uncle James Gough, have had success with before with Hathiq.

“Sceptical is straightforward and laid back and has the temperament to get the job done. It’s always hard to be confident when we own him and it’s a Group 1, but if I didn’t own him and I looked at his form, I’d defnitely think he is the horse to beat.”